10 signs you're a worship-leading pharisee

February 7, 2018

Scripture classifies the Pharisees as the strictest of all the Jewish religious sects. Literally set apart from others, they clung to their laws and traditions even at the expense of God’s law. Jesus rebuked them numerous times for their hypocrisy, pretension and self-righteousness.

It’s easy as worship leaders to fall into that same trap of sanctimonious arrogance. We can lead from the impression that we alone have the ability and even right to be the sole proprietors of worship. When this pretentiousness occurs we care more about elevating ourselves and our own agendas than helping others in spirit and truth worship.

It’s true that worship leaders are usually the most talented in the room, so it’s always a challenge to be both upfront and unassuming. But if in the name of excellence or musical purity we start suggesting that what we lead and the style in which we lead it is the only tenable option, then we too can slide into Phariseeism.

Thomas Merton wrote in his book, New Seeds of Contemplation, “When humility delivers a man from attachment to his own works and his own reputation, he discovers that perfect joy is possible only when we have completely forgotten ourselves. And it is only when we pay no more attention to our own deeds and our own reputation and our own excellence that we are at last completely free to serve God in perfection for His sake alone.”

“When humility delivers a man from attachment to his own works and his own reputation, he discovers that perfect joy is possible only when we have completely forgotten ourselves. And it is only when we pay no more attention to our own deeds and our own reputation and our own excellence that we are at last completely free to serve God in perfection for His sake alone.”

Mike Harland has served as the director of worship at LifeWay Christian Resources since 2005. He is a Dove Award winning songwriter, a published author, and a worship leader who sings and speaks nationally and internationally. Harland will provide equipping and encouragement for...

It’s been said that everyone worships, and everyone is a worshiper. Some worship pleasures. Some worship popularity. But everyone worships something. In His encounter with the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus declared that God the Father was seeking a special kind of worshiper —...

Worship leaders around the world are changing their church’s worship (often unintentionally) into a spectator event, and people are not singing anymore. Here are nine reasons why congregations aren’t singing anymore — and what we can do to change that: The congregations don’t know...

This past weekend, I had the privilege of worshipping at a gathering of many churches from one area (in my denomination, an “associational” meeting). During that meeting, several worship teams—all using different styles, and some in a different language—led us in worship. Since...

I’ve been there, and you likely have, also. You’ve never heard the song your church is singing. Or, you’ve heard it but don’t like it. The temptation is to silently mimic the words or not to sing at all. Here’s why we need to sing anyway: It’s right to sing God’s praises. Even if...